‘Pirates’ terrorize Lake Carmi

Pirates blasted campers with water weapons before turning them on themselves when Lake Carmi’s pirate ship came ashore Monday evening.

FRANKLIN — There was cannon fire over Lake Carmi Monday evening.

Pontoon boats raced across the water.

Meanwhile, a pirate ship, powered by a Mercury outboard engine, patrolled the shore, its derelict crew hollering to the visible landlubbers watching the show and blasting an onboard cannon when a holler was not enough.

This is an annual event for Carmi campers.

The Lake Carmi Campers Association (LCCA) organized the Monday evening events. The evening culminated with a fireworks show over the lake, which LCCA director Larry Myott said attracted thousands to the site of their launch alone, regardless of how many campers might have been watching around the lake.

A performance from the “Old Man Garage Band” kicked off the proceedings at 4 p.m. The band is an assortment of 60s-something fellows from Franklin and Enosburgh, Myott said.

“They were playing the old-time rock ‘n’ roll and everyone was having a good time,” he said.

Around 6 p.m., the pontoon teams left the shore.

For the winners of the pontoon races and more on those pirates, pick up a copy of Wednesday’s Messenger or subscribe to our digital edition.